Improvement in windmills



T. G. FOWLER.

WIND WHEEL.

No. 61,530. Patented Jan. 29', 1867.

mine Spa;

gums gems igaimi fff IMPROVEMENT m WINDMILLS.

Gite 52inch rzfemt in in time .itrflrs with nut nmtiug and st 1112' same.

TO ALL wnoM IT Msvfeononnm I Be it known that I, F. G. FOWLER, of Springfield, in the county of sangamon, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improved Wind-Wheel; and 1 110 hereby declare that the followingis afull, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled inthe art to. make and use the same, reference beingbad to the accompanying drawings, formingv part of this-specification, in which- Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of mydnvention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the-same. Similar letters of reference indicate like-parts. This invention relates to an improvement inthat class of wind-wheelswhich are provided with a series of vertical sails hung on horizontal arms, which extendfrom a vertical central arbor, ahd so arranged that the-sails oscillate on'hinges as the wheel revolves in such a manner that they receive af'propelling force from the wind- This oscillating motion is produced by. a stationary ec'centric,with which each sail is connected. A vane, which moves only when theiwind changes, is attached to the shaft upon which the eccentric is secured, whichcauses it to occupy a position corresponding with the direction from which'the wind blows, and serves to give the sails a proper adjustment.

The nature of my invention and'its'pecuhar advantages will be understood by the following description: The frame which supports the wheel maybe of any desirable construction that will hold it in a perpendicular position, and at suificient elevation. My wheel consists of a vertical shaft, a, which may be provided at either end with cranks or any kind of gearing that may be necessary to transmit or communicate power. Fromthis shaft extend four sets ot horizontal arms, d,'to theextremities of which are attachedsails, S. These' sails are rectangular in form, and attached to the extremities of the arms by hinges placed on their vertical central line. The weight of the wheel is sustained by ashaft, A, the upper end of which passes through a'horiaontal timber in the frame, and forms a bearing with the lower end 'of the arbor of the. wheel e. Thelower end of the shaft terminates in a small point, forming a bearing at e. Near the central part of theshaft'A'is placed the vane V= It isjsupported by the horizontal arms A, through the ends of which the shaft A passes. This vane is kept in position by the, circular shelf C,'upon'which the lower arm A rests. Thisshelf is firmly secured to the shaft A, and is provided with a circular seriesof apertures; anyone of which--can bemade to connect with an aperture in the arm'j esting upon it, and so arranged that the arm can be turned in any direction, and -then secured to the shelf by passing'a pin, fw, through both. At the upper end of the shaft A, and firmly secured to it, is an eccentric, .c, which is attached with its wide side in thedirection in which the vane V ex'tendsjiam'ely, from the direction in'which the wind blows. This eccentric .is surrounded by a strap, 0, and is provided with the radial rods 1', each of which is attached bya pivot toa'. corresponding sail. These pivots are placed about one and one-half time the throw of the-eccentric from the-vertical central line of thesail; yet the distance may be made more or less thanthat if it is desired to increase or diminish the oscillating motion of the sails, and thereby the power and speed of the wheel The length of the rods r must be such that the sails will be held at right angles to the arms, when the arms are at righta'ngles to the wind currents, as at-m n, fig. 2. The effect of the eccen= tric is such that the sails will .be inclined to the arms when the arms are parallel to the wind currents, as at P g.

I Theoperation of my wheel is as follows:' The force-of thewind uponthevane V will have the eflect to retain the eccentric with'its wideside in a direction opposite the direction from which the wind blows. If the wheel is in motion'in the direction of arrow 1, the wind blowing in the direction of arrow 2, each sail in passing the point m will be held edgewise to. the wind. As it passes that point, and while passing to P, its rear edge will gradually be drawn in by the-rod r. In passing from P to n, its rear edge will be forcedout till,farriving at n, it is edgewise to thewind. In'passing from 1t to 9, its rear edge will still further be forced out, as clearly shown in the drawings; and in passing from Q to m; its rear edge is again graduallydrawn in, till it arrives at' its original position, the wind exerting unit a propelling force throughout its entire circuit, except at the two dead-points m and t. If the pin-'w be withdrawn, .which secures the arm A to the shelf 0, and the shaft A be turned one hundred and eighty degrees, or half around, the actionof the eccentric will reverse the adjustment of'the sails, and the wheel will run with the same force, but in an opposite direction. If the sheft'A be turned ninety degrees from its original position in either direction, the sails will be adjusted in such-a manner that the force which one exerts will be counteractedby an equal force exerted ,by thesail on the opposite side of the wheel,

and the wheel will cease to run. If turned forty-five degrees in either direction, the wheel will exert but helf its maximum power; the degree of power which the'wheel exerts, and the direction in' fihich it runs, depending upon the relative position of the eccentric a with respect to the direction fromvwhich the wind blows. By properly operating the s aitA, the wheel can be made to exert the whole or any-pert of its [lower in any direction. A' small vane balanced by a weight may be connected with the pin 20 in such a. manner that it will withdraw it and cause the wheel to stop in case. the wind becomes unduly severe. The common ball governor may be connectcri with the shaft A, so that its action will turn it and maintain a, uniform motion of the wheel, when the.

windoncl the resistance against which the wheel acts are variable.

What I claim as new and'useful, and wish to secure by Letters Petcnt,.is

1. The eccentric c, incpmbination with the sails S hung on pivots placed on their vertical central line, and revolving in the mannerand for the purpose substantially as describerL 2. The vane V, in combihation with the eccentric c and sails S, arranged in-the manner and for the purpose substantially as shown.

F. G. FOWLER.

Witnesses:

A. DAVIDSON, Invme B. SAWYER. 

